Colonel March of Scotland Yard
Encyclopedia
Colonel March of Scotland Yard is a 1950s British television series based on author John Dickson Carr
's (aka Carter Dickson) fictional detective
Colonel March
from his book The Department of Queer Complaints (1940). Carr was a mystery author who specialised in locked-room whodunnits and other 'impossible' crimes: murder mysteries that seemed to defy possibility. The stories of the television series followed in the same vein with Detective March solving cases that baffle Scotland Yard
and the British police.
The series was made at Southall Studios
in Middlesex, England and was produced by Fountain Films for ITV
. The series premiered in 1955 with a total of 26 episodes. The show starred Boris Karloff
as the urbane, eye-patched sleuth (no reason was ever given for the loss of his eye). Other regulars included Ewan Roberts
as Inspector Ames of Scotland Yard
and Eric Pohlmann
as Inspector Goron of the Paris Sûreté
.
A related series Scotland Yard
, hosted by Edgar Lustgarten
' and starring John Woodvine
, Russell Napier
, and John Carlisle
aired on the American Broadcasting Company
in the 1957-1958 television season.
collections in poor condition, missing the episode "The Case of the Lively Ghost."
John Dickson Carr
John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published under the pen names Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson and Roger Fairbairn....
's (aka Carter Dickson) fictional detective
Detective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
Colonel March
Colonel March
Colonel March is a fictional detective created by John Dickson Carr. He appeared in a number of short stories written in the 30s and 40s about "locked-room" and "impossible crime" mysteries. He was an official attached to Scotland Yard in the so-called Department of Queer Complaints.He was played...
from his book The Department of Queer Complaints (1940). Carr was a mystery author who specialised in locked-room whodunnits and other 'impossible' crimes: murder mysteries that seemed to defy possibility. The stories of the television series followed in the same vein with Detective March solving cases that baffle Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
and the British police.
The series was made at Southall Studios
Southall Studios
Southall Studios was a film studio located in Southall, Middlesex in West London which operated between 1924 and 1958.The studio was constructed on the site of a former air hanger by the silent film director and producer G.B. Samuelson. The original buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1936, but...
in Middlesex, England and was produced by Fountain Films for ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
. The series premiered in 1955 with a total of 26 episodes. The show starred Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
as the urbane, eye-patched sleuth (no reason was ever given for the loss of his eye). Other regulars included Ewan Roberts
Ewan Roberts
-Selected filmography:* The Man in the White Suit * Angels One Five * Derby Day * The Titfield Thunderbolt * Night of the Demon * What a Whopper * The Day of the Triffids...
as Inspector Ames of Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard is a metonym for the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, UK. It derives from the location of the original Metropolitan Police headquarters at 4 Whitehall Place, which had a rear entrance on a street called Great Scotland Yard. The Scotland Yard entrance became...
and Eric Pohlmann
Eric Pohlmann
Eric Pohlmann was an Austrian theatre, film and television character actor.Born Erich Pollak in Vienna, Austria-Hungary, he was a classically trained actor who studied under the renowned director Max Reinhardt...
as Inspector Goron of the Paris Sûreté
Sûreté
Sûreté is a term used in French speaking countries or regions in the organizational title of a civil police force, especially the detective branch thereof.-France:...
.
A related series Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard (TV series)
Scotland Yard is a half-hour ABC crime/drama television series, which uses police files from the British Scotland Yard investigative force in the shaping of each episode. The series aired on Sunday evenings in the 1957-1958 season, having premiered on November 17, 1957, but the sixty-three episodes...
, hosted by Edgar Lustgarten
Edgar Lustgarten
Edgar Marcus Lustgarten was a British broadcaster and noted crime writer.His books included crime fiction, but most were accounts of true-life criminal cases. The legal justice system and courtroom procedures were his main interests and his writings reflect this...
' and starring John Woodvine
John Woodvine
John Woodvine is an English stage and screen actor who has appeared in more than 70 theatre productions, as well as a similar number of television and film roles.-Early life:...
, Russell Napier
Russell Napier
Russell Gordon Napier was an Australian actor.Russell Napier was born in Perth, Western Australia. Originally a lawyer, Napier was active as an actor from 1947 to 1974, playing both comedic and dramatic roles in both cinema and television. Notably, he starred in a live BBC television production...
, and John Carlisle
John Carlisle (actor)
John Carlisle is a British television and stage actor.John Carlisle had regular roles in Emergency - Ward 10, Scotland Yard on ABC, 1957–1958, and the London Weekend Television series New Scotland Yard as Detective Sergeant Ward.He also appeared in the BBC series The Omega Factor as the morally...
aired on the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
in the 1957-1958 television season.
List of episodes
- The Sorcerer
- The Abominable Snowman
- Present Tense
- At Night All Cats Are Gray
- The Case of the Kidnapped Poodle
- The Invisible Knife
- The Strange Event at Roman Hall
- The Headless Hat
- The Second Mona Lisa
- Death in Inner Space
- The Talking Head
- The Devil Sells His Soul
- Murder is Permanent
- The Silent Vow
- Death and the Other Monkey
- The Stolen Crime
- The Silver Curtain
- Error at Daybreak
- Hot Money
- The Missing Link
- The Case of the Misguided Missal
- The Deadly Gift
- The Case of the Lively Ghost
- Death in the Dressing Room
- The New Invisible Man
- Passage at Arms
Availability on Home Video
The series has never been legally released to home video in any format. It has turned up in various grey marketGrey market
A grey market or gray market also known as parallel market is the trade of a commodity through distribution channels which, while legal, are unofficial, unauthorized, or unintended by the original manufacturer...
collections in poor condition, missing the episode "The Case of the Lively Ghost."